Scoop Up These Camp Movies

For many kids, summer offers a break from the routine of school. And for some that means camps—day camps, sports camps, dance camps, community-sponsored play camps, family outings in the mountains, a backyard sleep out or a even traditional summer camp.

But if such an outing isn’t in the cards this year, you can still get a taste of the experience with one of these films about the joys and pitfalls of going to camp.

While forced to share a cabin, Sharon McKendrick and Susan Evers (both played by Hayley Mills) discover they are twins separated at birth when their parents divorced. When camp comes to a close the girls switch places in hopes of reuniting their mom and dad in the 1961 version of The Parent Trap. Lindsay Lohan took on the role of the twins in the 1998 remake.

Staying home for the summer, a group of friends form a camp called The Babysitters Club to provide childcare for desperate parents. The movie is based on the popular novel series.

After the success of their Daddy Day Care, two pals decide to open business for a Daddy Day Camp to give kids a chance to experience the great outdoors.

Camp Rock is the perfect place for aspiring musicians to improve their talents but for Mitchie Torres, the desire to fit in overshadows the opportunity to learn. Fortunately she is back for a second summer in Camp Rock 2: Final Jam.

Going to NASA’s space camp for kids turns out to be more of an adventure than expected when a group of pint-sized aspiring astronauts are accidently launched into orbit in Space Camp.

Unknown to his parents, a young teen is recruited for a special summer camp where the attendees learn hand-to-hand combat, aggressive driving skills and high tech gadgetry use in preparation for their role as a CIA operatives in Agent Cody Banks.

Emily Lindstrom gives up a chance to go to camp in favor of practicing her violin all summer in anticipation of a youth symphony audition. But going away might have been a better choice when she finds herself burdened with Little Secrets.

Ramp up your camp experience with some Funky Colored Flames to throw on your fire after you’ve finished cooking. If you don’t have access to a fire pit for roasting marshmallows, you can still enjoy a version of the camp treat S’Mores with this recipe from Today’s Creative Blog.

About author

Kerry Bennett is interested in media from both a journalist and parent perspective. Along with authoring articles for several family-oriented publications, she has written for Parent Previews for over 15 years. As a parent herself, she believes parents play a powerful role in teaching media literacy in their homes.